It looks like some of the Patriot Act is finally invalidated. Turns out that some judges think that judicial oversight is a good thing and circumventing it in law enforcement defies the Constitutional checks and balances. Every now and again, I appreciate the ACLU a little bit... and today is one of those days.
It wouldn't be a wondrous slacker week if I still wasn't managing to put off work and effort for as long as possible and goofing off in the mean time. In short, go to The Butcher Shop on Mondays and avoid homework. But if you do go, be sure to keep an eye out for the LU-ers like Dr. Batts.
You can thank Wheeler for forwarding me the link to this gem of a story. It's like the pills only cheaper. Only in Japan...
Even if you get a free car, the government will stick it to you for taxes on that free car. Just ask these winners. You've gotta love the U.S. tax scheme...
I've been saying for a long time that if someone could get the FCC to approve signal-jamming equipment for cell phones in specific areas, life would be good. I doubt they will, but that's not such a problem in situations like this. You know... maybe I'll just get one anyways if I ever own a restaurant.
Kind of an old concept in reverse. Instead of sneaking in and running off with unmentionables, these people are apparently sneaking in with unmentionables. Safe for work and even family-friendly.
As any good friend of the Cynic knows, I am a slacker. That's actually a fairly large part of who I am... especially when it comes to being a student. This is not to say that I don't get my work done and I don't know how to work hard... but I do have a finely-honed appreciation for relaxation.
This aforementioned slacking has given me a natural inclination to... miss class from time to time. This usually isn't a huge problem, and though it has gotten out of hand in one or two classes, this proclivity to forego class attendance has become molded into part of my general scholarly approach and I would contend that it has enabled me to cope with larger amounts of stress than the average student due to the relief that such skipping gives.
That said, every semester I set out to wait a little bit longer than the one before to skip class. Last semester I made it two whole weeks and I was determined to make it three. Making matters worse was the fact that I committed the sin of informing Anna of my inclination to do this... which quickly turned into a promise to Anna. Today was the last day of the three weeks.
I'm not sure yet how to properly celebrate... Anna keeps trying to make me promise to behave and only skip once every two weeks (blech.) I, on the other hand, might have just skipped every class tomorrow if I didn't have a test in one, little reason to skip the next and a group that is counting on me for the afternoon class.
How sad... maybe I'll skip my afternoon class anyways and try again on Wednesday.
Yarr! It do be International Talk Like A Pirate Day. And in the honor o' that day, we do be talkin' like pirates all day long in these here parts. So git yer sorry land-lubber self over to the official blog an' hoist a grog back for me.
Anna and I had occasion to wander back to her apartment yesterday evening to discover that Ardith's mom had sent Ardith a care package. Oddly enough, she also saw fit to send some apples and various and assorted other items to the members of the Shadow Council.
Thus, Ardith gleefully informed me that she would be taking the box over to the Ice Cave and dispensing her mother's generosity to its intended recipients and so we wandered over, myself carrying the box, Ardith carrying the enclosed letter, and Anna carrying a breath of air or something (notice how I'm the only one around here who does any work.)
So it was that the three of us wandered into the Ice Cave and rounded up the denizens so that Ardith might read to us of the great trials and tribulations endured by her mother (and dutifully recounted to inspire thanksgiving in the hearts of the Shadow Council) in order that she might retrieve the aforementioned fresh-picked apples to send to us. After reading of the hardships suffered by the maman d'Ardith, Ardith dutifully dispensed the various and sundry items which had been sent on our behalf. Oh, in case you were wondering, I was sent a box of Band-Aid's and some antibiotic cream so that I wouldn't have to go around with a sock on my finger any more. I will allow the rest of the grateful recipients to express their gratitude as well as explain their gifts in their own times and on their own respective blogs. I will just say that we are very thankful to the Hoyts and M.O.C.K. This would almost make up for an early-morning wake-up attempt or two on Ardith.
Trailers for a demented movie. Warning: this is a rather messed-up R-rated movie... view at your own risk.
Today in Introduction to Psychology we discussed male performance anxiety at the urinal. Not to mention the unspoken social rules of urinal usage and the great fear of The Trough. You know you wish you were there. Hell, some of you just wish you knew what I was talking about.
On the other hand, most of you really don't want to be in either my Networks class or my Software Engineering class. Networks is a good deal... if it weren't at 8 in the frigging morning. Software Engineering is one of those classes that's a great deal as long as you can get the professor to stop talking about his 3000 PowerPoint lecture slides that he wants to fit into one class period. Admittedly, it's hard to do... but Dr. King has so many applicable anecdotes to hear and so little of the slideshow is worth beans. I guess you'd just bring a book to read, like I do.
You just wish that you got out of any of your Tuesday/Thursday classes (or hell, any of your classes for that matter) in that kind of time. Even better, I managed to make a group presentation along with 5 other presentations in that space.
Courtesy of Randy and Something Positive, I have been meaning to link to this parents' guide on Etiquette for dealing with those who lack children.
Before you ask, no I don't hate children nearly that much. I do, however, hate misbehaved children and the parents who don't care for them properly.
Yesterday I went to Software Engineering expecting my normal slacking oppurtunity and anticipating a nice nap to go along with it. Then I watched Dr. King wander into the room, looking like he had just aged 10 years since last Thursday. He proceded to tell us that his late wife's mother, who had cared for his children when his wife passed away, had died of smoke inhalation when her house burned down on Monday. So he is flying to Australia today to go to her funeral and see his children. Be praying for them, Dr. King especially.
For reasons like class, personal life, friends and work I have been lacking the time required to do a proper post in the past week or so. I am sorry and will attempt to make up for it by backtracking and doing a series of little posts as to what in general I've been up to. Suffice to say that it's been a lot of hanging out with friends and going to class and not a lot of blogging.
In the interim I've resumed my job as an IT lackey and taken up grading Computer Science 1 for Dr. Varnell. The combination has proven infinitely interesting in allowing me to sit in the computer labs, get payed to grade CS1, and be payed to watch the computers. A verfy nice deal.
This has kind of been a week that has held all of the omens of the calm before the storm. Every class I go to seems to be forewarning of the mountain of work about to frall on my head. So, in typical fashion I have been spending every available moment with Anna, the SC and all of my professor friends. After all, if I'm doomed to spend the whole semester doing lots of work, I'll be damned if I'm going to pass up the chance to bum around with my friends while I can. After all, this is the last year of college. Better make it count.
With this post, I suppose I'm writing hte epitaph to a wonderful summer and the 3 great weeks with all of my friends back at LeTourneau and me with nothing to do. Now I suppose I shall get about the ugly business of being a decent student and attempting to enjoy my great friends at the same time. Come see me so that you can enjoy the great slackerness in between the attempts at work.
Our assignment for Introduction to Psychology today was to write a paper outlining the position of a website that said that Christian Psychology works and a website that said Psychology was un-Christian. After that, we were to write a one-page position paper with our thoughts on the subject. Being a rather reasonable fellow not holding with such nonsense as "Psychology takes people away from the Bible and into pseudo-science" I decided that Psychology and Christianity had no call to be at war, and wrote as much in my position.
The paper was required of us in class today, but before then we were to write a number on a scale from 1 to 10 on the back of our paper, illustrating how much we felt the two topics coincided (1 being none, 10 being total overlap.) Now typically, I would have rolled with about a 9. However, I have always been somewhat argumentative and felt a good discussion brewing, so I went with the superlative 10. Dr. Hetzel then separated the class into 10's and the rest, placing us each on one side of the aisle and challenging us to convert one another.
Let it be known that LU students largely can't argue their way out of a wet paper bag. There were about 6 of us who could intelligently dissemble our positions, and oddly my typical ability to argue seemed to be flagging as I stammered and stumbled over words. Fortunately, my compatriots assisted brilliantly, and we converted a decent number from the class over to the side where the 10's were.
All in all, the class was an interesting introduction to "how the other half lives" so to speak. I haven't really in all of my life come across a Christian who actually believes that Psychology is evil and not of God. Sure, I've encountered quite a few with serious misgivings about Freud and psychoanalysis, but I think this may be my first chance to meet those who honestly don't trust Psychology. Should be fun... I'll keep you posted.